Neuromodulation of mood and eating behavior

Feeding is a complex behavior driven by the interaction between circuits that regulate homeostatic, hedonic, and emotional states, which act together and influence energy expenditure, hunger, satiety, reward, and mood. The easy access to palatable food in modern environment, along with a more stressful lifestyle have been implicated in the current obesity pandemic and the development of mood disorders associated to it. The homeostatic and hedonic circuits are comprised by neurotransmitters and hormones originating from diverse brain regions and peripheral tissues that coordinate to influence physiological responses. For instance, the hypothalamus, a crucial structure in homeostatic feeding, interacts with peripheral signals such as gut peptides and hormones from adipose tissues to regulate eating behaviors. Similarly, the dopaminergic mesolimbic system integrates central and peripheral signals from the availability of nutrients in the gut and energy deposits in the adipose tissue, to generate an appropriate reward response and influence food intake as well as mood. Recent research also revealed that mood states could be significantly influenced by the neuroendocrine system. The neuroendocrine system is central to maintaining emotional well-being and energy homeostasis, with its disruption leading to mental health disorders and metabolic diseases. In order to generate more successful dietary and pharmacological therapies to treat obesity and ameliorate affective disorders such as depression or anxiety, it is necessary to unravel the connections between the circuits that control the different aspects of feeding and the alterations that could induce the onset of obesity.

This Research Topic aims to explore the impact of different factors that affect feeding and affective disorders, including fat and sugar-rich foods (palatable food), homeostatic and reward circuits, interaction and disruption of central and peripheral pathways that regulate feeding, stress, circadian regulation, among others.

We aim to explore the following areas:

• The role of the interaction of central and peripheral homeostatic, hedonic, and neuroendocrine systems in mood and eating behavior regulations.

• The impact of the disruption of homeostatic, hedonic, and/or neuroendocrine systems in mood and eating disorders.

• Identifying key pathways that link homeostatic, hedonic, and/or neuroendocrine systems to regulate mood and feeding.

• The environmental factors, such as stress or palatable food intake, that contribute to the deregulation of mood and eating behavior.

• Propose dietary therapies or possible pharmacological targets to treat mood and eating disorders.

We welcome authors to submit original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and opinion articles that contribute to our understanding of the neural systems that regulate food intake and mood states. Manuscripts should provide novel insight, propose future directions, and present evidence-based strategies for addressing the challenges related to obesity in the modern environment and the mood disorders associated with it.

Keywords: Feeding, metabolism, emotional states, anxiety, depression, homeostatic system, hedonic system, neuroendocrine system, stress

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.